Sony Reader Update #2

So, here’s my prediction: in the next 2-3 weeks Sony will announce a new ebook reader. It will be touch screen. It will be a pearl e-ink display. And it will retail for under $180.

Well I called it, though I was two months early. I forgot about the WiFi though . Now that I’ve taken a better look at it though I’ve noticed something. It’s priced too high still. The other readers are in a race to the bottom, and I’m afraid that ebook readers are not a must have gadget. Which means that people will buy the cheapest one, not the best quality one. They’ve done a good thing by lightening it up (plastic chassis), but they also need to lighten the price more. I know I predicted $180 and it came in at $150, but now that Amazon is looking like they’ll bring out a new Kindle in time for Christmas, Sony needs to win the price war.

A $109 price point would pretty much kick out the rest of the competition.

That being said, I think that Sony’s focus on libraries is going to be a major point in their favour.